French nationality test asking name of national anthem ‘too hard’ says minister

First on the list was: “France’s national anthem is: The Marseillaise, The Versaillaise, the Paimpolaise?” Another was: “The Elysée Palace houses: The justice ministry, a hotel group, the French President?” A third enquired: “Brigitte Bardot was: A film actress, a fashion designer, a female boxer?” Another brain-teaser asked whether Molière wrote “Plays, gardening books or crime novels”.

Some were slightly trickier, such as: “The wars of religion of the 16th century were between: Catholics and Protestants, Christians and Muslims, state and private schools?”

The questions, compiled by historians and educational experts, were the brainchild of Claude Guéant, Mr Sarkozy’s interior minister, who also introduced French language tests and a “charter of rights and duties” for would-be new French citizens.

Yesterday, Mr Guéant failed to see the funny side of Mr Valls’ crusade to scrap his measures, warning that to do so risked “seriously damaging social cohesion”.

“It seems totally normal and common sense that a French person knows the major principles of the society in which he lives. These multiple choice questions were tested over several months and in no way correspond to Manuel Valls’ description,” he told Le Figaro. Initial tests on 2,000 foreigners hoping to be naturalised found that they scored on average between 70 and 80 per cent.

The Spanish-born Mr Valls, who obtained French nationality 30 years ago, slammed the current naturalisation process in France as “an arbitrary and discriminatory obstacle course” and promised a complete overhaul.

He accused the former government of having a “deliberate policy of excluding from French nationality deserving people posing no problem”. The new rules had seen the number of new French nationals drop by 40 per cent in the past year, he said.

Seen as a relative hardliner on security in the Left-wing government, Mr Valls said he would maintain his predecessor’s controversial drive to dismantle illegal Roma gypsy camps and would not increase the number of undocumented immigrants who were given French nationality.

He did promise to scrap a highly controversial law making it a criminal offence to help or house an illegal immigrant on humanitarian grounds, currently seen as tantamount to human trafficking.

Philippe Goujon, MP for Paris for Mr Sarkozy’s Right-wing UMP party, said : “The Socialists have heard nothing of voters’ message on their attachment to national sovereignty and their desire to control immigration.”

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